Overhead sliding door



Feb. 25, 19%. P, NAYLOR 2,031,847

OVERHEAD SLIDING DOOR Filed Dec. "7, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 25, 193%; V P. NAYLQR 2,031,847

OVERHEAD SLIDING DOOR Filed Dec. 7, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mam UR Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 11 Claims.

a'do'or which may be slightly raised before it begins'to' swing, which, when fully open, is entirely'within the building, which involves mainly the use 'ofstock material'and which is satisfactorily counterbalanced by Weights.

I attain my objects by means of the constructionshereinafter set forth'and'which may be briefly described as follows:

The door frame is provided at each side with a vertical track on which a carriage is slidable. The door 'is 'disengageably supported by and is swingable on "said carriages. Counterbalances are "connected'with the carriage to mainly support the Weight of the door. At a suitable point overhead'horizontal tracks are supported onto which the door may be pushed when sufficiently raised, swung'to a horizontal position and dis-'- engagedfrom the carriages.

The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig.' 1 isa vertical section of a door and door mounting constructed in accordance with my invention, the door being shown in vertical position;

Fig. 2 a similar View, partly broken away, showing the door'in closed vertical position;

Fig. 3 a rear elevation of one side of the door and door mounting;

Fig.4 a plan view of the door-supporting carriage on an enlarged scale;

gig. 5 a'plan view of the upper track rollers; an

d Fig. 6 a detail of the Weather stripping of the oor.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the diiierent figures. l is a'do'or which is of the type known in the trade as a one-piece door to distinguish it from doors which are formed in horizontal sections hinged together. This door, when in closed position, "fits betweenthe sides of the door frame 2, leavingaclearance of about one-eighth of an inch between the door and the frame. Secured to the door frame at each side is a bracket 1, which serves to support the lower end of a track 6, preferably formed of pipe; The upper end of the pipe at'each' side isooimected by means of a casting 9 with 'a horizontaltrack I0 supported by hangers 8 frornthe ceiling of the garage or other room to which the door is fitted. Facing the pipe track 6 "at each side' of the door frame is a track I I, preferably formed of an Langl'e. On the. double track thus provided by the parts 6 and I I at each side of the frame a carriage I2 is adapted to slide. This carriage, it will be noted, embraces both tracks and ball bearings l3, M are fitted in the carriage to reduce friction. These carriages are intended to support the door in vertical movement.

As an engagement'between the door and the carriages I provide the brackets 4 on the door, which brackets carry the rollers 5 adapted to engage the upper ends of the carriages and to fit against the front sides of the-track members 6.

The carriages I2, it will be noted, are double ended so that they are reversible and may be used either end up and at either side of the door frame.

It is preferred to give the rollers 5 an anti-friction engagement with the carriages, and for this purpose I provide on each carriage a suitably j ournalled roller 26 which engages in the groove in the roller 5 provided to run on the track memher 6.

Projecting from each carriage is a bolt ll, to which is connected one end of a cable l8, which cable runs over a suitable pulley or pulleys I9 located as circumstances may require. To the other end of each cable is secured a weight 29 adapted to partly counterbalance the weight of the door.

Connected to the door adjacent its upper end is a bracket 2|, on which bracket are journalled the rollers 24, 25 engaging respectively, when the door is closed, the front and rear of the adjacent pipe trackfi. These rollers are arranged in echelon, as shownyto enable them to pass round the angle at the junction of the tracks 6 and If]. These rollers are so positioned that the door has a small lift before the rollers pass from the vertical to the horizontal track as the door is raised and swung. These rollers are spaced from the bracket 2| by the spacer bar 21, which serves as a side guide when the door is supported on the horizontal tracks and is not quite horizontal in which position the vertical space between the rollers 24, 25 is greater than the diameter of the pipe track ID.

A length of webbing 2B is attached to the inside of the door and is used to pull the door down from the open position or to draw it back when the door is being'slid horizontally at the end of the opening operation.

A night latch 30 of known form is attached to the inside of the door and the bolt of the latch is adapted to mesh with a keeper 3| formed as a toothed rack-cast in'each side of the brackets secured to the door frame.

' track member l0.

Suitable Weatherstripping will be employed to close the clearance space between the door and frame at each side when the door is closed, but such forms no part of the present invention.

I show, however, a strip 33 slidable in a groove formed in the frame 2 and adapted to be projected into a groove formed in the side of the door. Each strip is formed with diagonal slots 34 slidable on pins 38 on the frame 2. Each strip has a plate 35 at its upper end which underlies the plate 36 secured to the top of the door. A coil spring 39 set in a recess in the door and engaging the lug 35 maintains the strip in Va.

raised and retracted position when the door is open. When the door is drawn down and moved vertically to the closed position the lug 36 contacts with the lug 35 and presses the strip 33 down which causes it to move laterally and engage the groove in the side of the door to close the gap between the door and frame.

The operation of the door is as follows: To open the door unlock the night latch, lift the door which goes up straight for three inches. Then pull the door outwards and upwards. When at the top the door in the horizontal position will project outside of the building. The operator then takes hold of the webbing 2B and walks intogthe building and the door will slide on the horizontal tracks completely inside and with very little effort.

'It will be noted that the carriages I2 serve only as an elevator to raise the door to the top of the door opening, the carriage stopping when the carriage l2 contacts with the casting connecting the vertical track member 6 with the horizontal When the door reaches the horizontal position it takes very little effort to roll the door inwards on the track Ill with which the rollers contact.

The upward thrust of the rollers 26 of the carriages has a lateral component which is elfective against the rollers 5 to give a push to the door to help start it on its rearward movement.

It will be noted that if the rollers 5 are placed exactly at the line of the centre of gravity of the door the door will be practically balanced on the rollers 5 when moving along the horizontal track In, and the track rollers 24, 25 will hardly touch the horizontal track.

When the door is to be closed it is drawn outwardlyin a horizontal position until the rollers 24, 25 turn the angles between the horizontal and the vertical tracks, when the door can be swung down to the vertical position and finally closed, the night latch engaging the keeper 3| on the bracket 1.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An overhead sliding door construction comprising a door frame provided with a vertical track at each side; a carriage slidable on each track; a door; a bracket at each side of the door connected thereto at or about midway between the top and bottom thereof and engageable by the carriages to raise the door; counterbalances connected with the carriages to support partly the weight of the door; a horizontal track at each side of the frame adjacent the upper ends of the vertical tracks; and means limiting the upward movement of the carriages to a point at which the brackets of the door may be disengaged from the carriages and engaged with the horizontal tracks.

2. An overhead sliding door construction comprising a door frame provided with a vertical track at each side; a carriage slidable on each track; a door; a bracket at each side of the door connected thereto at or about midway between the top and bottom thereof and engageable by the carriages to raise the door; counterbalances connected with the carriages to support partly the weight of the door; a horizontal track at each side of the frame adjacent the upper ends of the vertical tracks; means limiting the upward movement of the carriages to a point at which the brackets of the door may be disengaged from the carriages and engaged with the horizontal tracks; and track engaging means adjacent the upper end of the door adapted to pass from the vertical to the horizontal tracks to support the said end on the horizontal tracks as the door is raised and tilted.

3. An overhead sliding door construction com-' prising a door frame provided with a vertical track at each side; a carriage slidable on each track; a door; a bracket at each side of the door connected thereto at or about midway between the top and bottom thereof and engageable by the carriages to raise the door; counterbalances connected with the carriages to support partly the weight of the door; a horizontal track at each side of the frame adjacent the upper ends of the vertical tracks; means limiting the upward movement of the carriages to a point at which the brackets of the door may be disen-' gaged from the carriages and engaged with the horizontal tracks; and track engaging means at the upper end of the door comprising two sets of rollers mounted on the door and arranged in echelon, the forward one of a set engaging the front of one vertical track or the top of the adjacent horizontal track and the other of each set the rear of a vertical track or the underside. of a horizontal track.

4. A sliding door construction according to claim 1 in which the brackets connected with the door are provided with rollers adapted to rest on the carriages and to engage the forward sides .of the vertical tracks when the door is moved vertically and adapted to engage the upper sides of the horizontal tracks when the door is horizontal.

5. A sliding door construction according to claim 1 in which the brackets connected with the door are provided with rollers adapted to rest on the carriages and to engage the forward sides of'the vertical tracks when the door is moved vertically and adapted to engage the upper sides of the horizontal tracks when the door is horizontal and in which rollers are provided on the carriages forming antifriction contacts for the rollers on the brackets.

6. An overhead sliding door construction comprising a door frame provided with a vertical track at each side; a carriage slidable on each track; a one-piece door disengageably supported by and swingable on said carriages; and counterbalances connected with the carriages to partly support the weight of the door.

7. A sliding door construction according to claim 6 in which each track comprises two spaced parallel members and each carriage is double ended and reversible and slidably engages both track members.

8. A sliding door construction according to claim 6 in which each track comprises two spaced parallel members each embraced by the carriage.

9. An overhead sliding door construction comprising a door frame; a carriage at each side of the frame mounted to move vertically; a onepiece' door disengageably supported by and swin able on said carriages; counterbalances connected with the carriages to partly support the weight of'the door; and means adapted to receive the door when the latter is raised, swung and pushed horizontally from the carriages.

10. An overhead sliding door construction comprising a door frame provided with a vertical track at each side; a carriage slidable on each track; a one-piece door disengageably supported by and swingable on said carriages, the point of support of the door being substantially midway between the top and bottom thereof; and counterbalances connected with the carriages to partly support the weight of the door.

11. An overhead sliding door construction comprising a door frame; a carriage at each side of the frame mounted to move vertically; a onepiece door disengageably supported by and swingable on said carriages, the point of support of the door being substantially midway between the top and bottom thereof; counterbalances connected with the carriages to partly support the weight of the door; and means adapted to receive the horizontally from the carriage.

PAUL NAYLOR. 

